Kissing in the Rain ☔ ✔

🐚 epilogue pt. 2

You made me feel perfect just as I was and we called it love

But real love encouraged growth
A flower in the wild not trapped in a vase

-GINA WRITE

(check out her Instagram page for more great quotes!)

Crunch!

"There's another one over here Hayden!"

"I found another one here too!"

"Where?"

Jogging across the beach, I kept my eyes on the ground, being careful not to trip over the washed up wood and kelp littering the sand.

"This one had a lot of goop!" Emma told me, pointing down at the broken kelp stipe next to her pink rain boots.

"Oh wow! Look— it's still oozing out Em."

Em giggled, sticking her fingers into the clear slime as Chris tugged on the sleeve of my raincoat.

"Hayden! Hayden look! I found a seashell buried under a carrot."

Chris held out his tiny hand and I crouched down so I could see the cracked object. Despite being broken, it was still very beautiful, the inside gleaming opal and smooth to the touch.

"That's gorgeous, Chris."

"Did somebody say carrot?"

Looking up, I saw Grant had caught up to us. His nose was bright red and his bright smile was contagious. I stood up and watched as Chris and Emma ran up to him to show him their treasures.

"It's what they call the air bladders on the kelp," I explained. "Because they're shaped like miniature carrots."

"Is that so?" Grant's eyes were grey when they met mine, his lips a crooked smile, before he turned his attention to the kids. "Isn't that cool!"

"Let's go find more carrots!" Em shouted, dropping the slimy algal stipe on the sand and dashing off with Chris.

Closing the distance between us, I took Grant's hand and kissed his cheek.

"Your hand is freezing," Grant commented, raising my sand-dusted hand to inspect it.

I shrugged. "I was showing the kids some algae."

Grant picked up my other hand, warming mine in his for a few moments. "You're a nice cousin."

"Thank you."

The four of us retreated back to the house when the rain started coming down. After hanging up our wet clothing in the laundry room, Em and Christ hurried upstairs to get cleaned up by my aunt and mother.

Running my brush through my tangled hair, I watched through the vanity mirror as Grant slipped his shirt overhead. "I'm glad you could come with me."

"I am too." I felt a tingling sensation build inside me as Grant started toward me. He slipped his bare arms around my clothed waist and the hot kiss he planted on the nape of my neck sent a shiver coursing through my body. "It's really nice seeing the house you grew up in."

I placed my hairbrush on the wooden surface and turned around, tiptoeing and slipping my arms around Grant's neck. "It's been updated quite a lot since I lived here. It's fresher now. It used to be a mauve-y pink," I said, sticking out my tongue.

Grant slipped his arms under my sweater, and his hands were warm against my back. "I like the white."

"Me too."

We shared a long kiss before the sound of someone stomping down the staircase made me pull away.

"It's probably lunch time," I explained. "And there's something I want to show you first."

Grant retreated to his small suitcase to finish getting dressed while I pulled up the screenshot on my phone.

"Here," I said, unable to contain my smile as I held out the device.

Using two fingers to zoom in on the screen, Grant began reading the small print. "'I am emailing to inform you that you have been accepted into third year mathematical sciences.'"

Grant whirled around to face me. "Hayden, that's great!"

"Wait— that's not everything." Stealing my phone back, I flipped to the next image. "Here."

"Bachelor of science in mathematics... and minor in... biology?"

"Biomathematics is very up and coming," I explained. "And you were right. Sometimes new experiences can change everything."

"Well, I'm glad they brought me you," he whispered, pulling me into his arms and into a passionate kiss.